A missing gene makes a big difference in patients ’ recovery from mild strokeMore than 6 million Americans live with disabilities following a stroke. Even mild strokes can leave survivors with arm and leg weakness, poor muscle control and memory lapses that worsen with age. Now UCLA neuroscientists have found that patients born without a gene called CCR5 recover better from mild stroke than patients with the gene. The team partnered with Israeli researchers to study the missing gene ’s effect on brain function.Published Feb. 21 in the journal Cell, the findings could lead to the first pill to reverse the physical and mental aftermath of mild stroke.“This is the first time tha...Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - February 21, 2019 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news

Children's Mercy program's 'good problem' — it works, but needs more moneyAfter Children's Mercy launched its Cardiac High Acuity Monitoring Program (CHAMP) in 2014, an app that uses telemedicine to monitor infants with a life-threatening heart defect, the goal was anything but modest: create a research database to help clinicians work together toward reducing the infant mortality rate.
The CHAMP Multi-Site Registry is a live database of more than 300 babies who have used or are currently using the app. The system uses predictive analytics to help providers view the registry… (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines - February 21, 2019 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Lily Lieberman Source Type: news

CorMatrix launches FDA IDE Cor Tricuspid ECM cardiac valve trialCorMatrix Cardiovascular said today that it launched a trial of its Cor Tricuspid ECM cardiac valve intended for treating adults with endocarditis and pediatric patients with congenital heart valve disease, adding that the first patient in the trial has already been treated.
The first procedure in the trial took place at the Francicscan Health Heart Center by a team led by Dr. Marc Gerdisch, Atlanta-based CorMatrix said. The patient, who was suffering from endocarditis, has returned home and is recovering well, the company added.
“This first FDA study enrollment is a substantial step toward patients avoiding syn...Source: Mass Device - February 21, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Cardiac Implants Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Featured Replacement Heart Valves CorMatrix Cardiovascular Inc. Source Type: news

Scientists discover new type of immune cells that are essential for forming heart valvesUCLA researchers have identified for the first time the origin of an immune cell that plays a critical role in the formation of healthy heart valves. The findings could pave the way for new treatments for heart valve disorders, which can be caused by congenital defects, aging or disease.Their study, led by Dr. Atsushi “Austin” Nakano, a UCLA associate professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology and member of theEli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, was published in the journal Developmental Cell.Building on previous research by Nakano, which showed that ...Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - February 21, 2019 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news

More Young Women Are Having Heart Attacks, Study Says. This Could Be WhyYounger women are having more heart attacks, and accounted for nearly a third of all female heart attack patients in recent years, according to a recent study. The news compounds a string of recent findings that have pointed to poorer overall health for young American women.
“Women now, compared to younger women generations before them, are less healthy,” says study co-author Melissa Caughey, a cardiovascular epidemiologist and instructor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine. “It’s probably reflective of poorer health in general.”
The study, which appeared in a sp...Source: TIME: Health - February 21, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized healthytime onetime Research Source Type: news

Women with more social support are less likely to die, new study finds(George Mason University) In the largest study to explore the impact of perceived social support on cardiovascular disease and mortality, George Mason University College of Health and Human Services finds postmenopausal women aged 50-79 with higher perceived social support were modestly less likely to die during the course of the study; no significant link found between increased social support and CVD. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - February 21, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Scientists discover new type of immune cells that are essential for forming heart valves(University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences) UCLA researchers have identified for the first time the origin of an immune cell that plays a critical role in the formation of healthy heart valves. The findings could pave the way for new treatments for heart valve disorders, which can be caused by congenital defects, aging or disease. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - February 21, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Cholesterol-lowering drugs have serious side effects that include brain damage(Natural News) One out of every five Americans has been convinced to take a statin drug in order to lower their blood cholesterol levels and supposedly prevent heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) admit that statin drug use is on the rise; Atorvastatin (Lipitor) is the best-selling prescription drug in the world. The... (Source: NaturalNews.com)Source: NaturalNews.com - February 20, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Neovasc inks $3m settlement deal with MID, raises $1mNeovasc (NSDQ:NVCN) said today that it inked a $3 million settlement agreement with Micro Interventional Devices to resolve undisclosed allegations related to Neovasc’s transcatheter mitral valve replacement technology, including its flagship Tiara device, and added that it has raised approximately $1.2 million.
The agreement includes payments totally approximately $3 million to be made by Neovasc to MID over the next two and a half years, Neovasc said in a press release.
The settlement deal includes a 1.3% royalty to be paid to MID on the annual net sales of the Tiara, Neovasc said. The agreement also includes ...Source: Mass Device - February 20, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Business/Financial News Cardiovascular Legal News Micro Interventional Devices neovasc Source Type: news

Feeling down? Depression linked to cardiovascular disease in men(Natural News) Depression affects more than just your mind. While most sufferers can attest to depression’s far-reaching effects on their emotions and relationships, it can also wreak havoc on your physical health. In bad news for the 350 million people around the world who are affected by depression, a new report in the journal Atherosclerosis... (Source: NaturalNews.com)Source: NaturalNews.com - February 20, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

How a Harry Potter Quiz Gave Back to ScienceFor all his triumphs, Harry Potter was seldom more than a “reasonably talented” student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So I’m pleased to report that he can now pad his curriculum vitae with a contribution to new, original research in the peer-reviewed Journal of Personality.
This feather in Mr. Potter’s cap is the result of a partnership between TIME and social scientists at the University of Cambridge that shows a new way academics and journalists can work together. Here’s how it came about.
In the spring of 2017, TIME was gearing up for the vaunted 20th anniversary of the...Source: TIME: Science - February 20, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Chris Wilson Tags: Uncategorized Harry Potter interactive studios onetime social science University of Cambridge Source Type: news